I am currently torn between getting MP Ultra Magnus or the Generations IDW version. Honestly, you wait ages for a good Magnus toy and then two come along at once.

Why not both?
Probably said it somewhere before, but MP Magnus is everything I'd want in a Magnus. As a result, for the foreseeable future I can't see adding another Magnus to my collection, unless it's particularly bitchin' (or I can track down one of those Super Deformed statues with the broken matrix). While I kind of like IDW Magnus and the inclusion of Minimus, what I've seen of the figure doesn't impress me enough. There was a 'cheapness' to the pictures I've seen, but that may have been from being a test shot or whatever.

We regretfully must announce that all preorders for the Takara MP-23 Exhaust have been cancelled. There has been an ongoing legal problem with this figure due to trademarked Marlboro roof/hood design that is not approved for sale in the USA. Takara modified the original design and went into production using a modified paint deco. It appears the redesigned paint deco did not go far enough to fix the problem, and Phillip Morris USA will still not allow this item for sale in the USA. We have been in contact with the law firm representing Phillip Morris and they told us that the changes were not substantial enough to eliminate potential consumer confusion between the Marlboro trademarked design and the current paint deco on the MP-23 Exhaust.

We apologize for the problem on this item, but we must abide by the requests made by Phillip Morris. We look forward to less complicated future Takara Transformer releases.

Not to sound too spiteful, but I'm getting great amusement from this situation---the same dudes that were decrying that this is getting a precious MP slot from their hands forever and should not deserve to be in the line are now going to claw each other's eyes out for a copy of this soon to be overpriced release.

I just wish I had ordered more than 1 so I could potentially help some of you guys out. My best bet, if you want to get one, would be to watch over HLJ's page if they bring the listing up on release.

Yeah, a lot of retailers are either not carrying this, or refusing to sell to US addresses. Fortunately I've got one on pre-order; fingers crossed it still arrives.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knightdramon

Nothing from HLJ so far...and hopefully will stay that way.

Not to sound too spiteful, but I'm getting great amusement from this situation---the same dudes that were decrying that this is getting a precious MP slot from their hands forever and should not deserve to be in the line are now going to claw each other's eyes out for a copy of this soon to be overpriced release.

I just wish I had ordered more than 1 so I could potentially help some of you guys out. My best bet, if you want to get one, would be to watch over HLJ's page if they bring the listing up on release.

Apparently Philip Morris is even cracking down on eBay listings, so other than trading via forums I'm not sure exactly what form the aftermarket is likely to take here.

The big hurdle seems to be importing it to the US en masse which is where the US-based retailers are getting stuck. The thing we don't know is what other US-based retailers have also gotten a cease & desist from Phillip Morris and whether they plan to honor their preorders in a hush-hush way.

Regardless, it seems he'll be released in Japan just fine, so there's that. Acquiring one outside of Japan now will be the challenge.

Don't know if this point has been made before, but I'm pretty sure that Marlboro could get in big trouble if their brand appears on anything like a toy. Tobacco laws forbid marketing to children in any way. I'm guessing that's why they're taking such interest here.

Yeh, I think it's certainly part of the reason behind their zeal. TBH I'm not entirely sure I disagree even if they're not being altruistic exactly (i.e. they're trying to stop any further negative attention for themselves in an increasingly under-pressure industry - not so far fetched after what happened with Spastic, after all); you've got to wonder what Takara are doing releasing what - however you dress it up - is a toy covered in cigarette advertising.

What's amazing is that Takara haven't just pulled the release as more hassle than it's worth. And after they went to all the effort of asking Lancia if it was okay thirty years after they swiped the Stratos too.

Yeah, Phillip Morris don't really have a choice in the matter. It's part of the anti-tobacco lawsuit from the late 1990s that they have to keep their product imagery away from kids' stuff, IIRC.

In fact, they're actually kind of the victims as they legally have to deny some collectors (who may also be customers of theirs) what they want at their own counsel's cost all because Takara didn't run it by them first. That said, the release seems to be just fine within Japan, so Takara may not care... but it's still their fault for not finding out if this was a good idea or not in advance (and that they changed the deco seems to indicate that they may be susceptible to some repercussions).

What's amazing is that Takara haven't just pulled the release as more hassle than it's worth. And after they went to all the effort of asking Lancia if it was okay thirty years after they swiped the Stratos too.

Well, the MP line's primary market is Japan - although they must get a lot of sales in the rest of the world, that's the primary market.

I really don't think Takara really care about a few lost sales in the US or SE Asia or wherever - so long as it sells well in the home country and helps defray the cost of the Wheeljack mould and Lancia licence, then all is well in their eyes.

Well, the MP line's primary market is Japan - although they must get a lot of sales in the rest of the world, that's the primary market.

I really don't think Takara really care about a few lost sales in the US or SE Asia or wherever - so long as it sells well in the home country and helps defray the cost of the Wheeljack mould and Lancia licence, then all is well in their eyes.

See, I dunno. While they can do whatever they want with Exhaust in Japan full stop, I think it's telling how much of a market outside of Japan that they cater to by evidence that they modified the deco to try to appease the legal situation in the US. I agree that Japan is the primary market, but exports of the line must be substantial for them to alter the product. However, all of the above assumes that the deco was modified to be sold internationally instead of trying not to infringe on the copyrights held by a Japanese subsidiary of Phillip Morris, which would also completely explain things. Until the next round of designer interviews, I guess we're in the dark.

Serious question, though: does Phillip Morris sell Marlboro in Japan or have any legal presence there? I have no earthly idea.